The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) issues permits to individuals and companies to withdraw water from either ground or surface sources. These are called water rights and are limited to specific amounts of capacity and total volume of water that can be pumped. Our water rights allow us to withdraw groundwater from the Spokane Valley Aquifer.
Over the years, the number of water rights that we have has changed, the type has been modified, and the use of the water adjusted. Currently, there is a difference between the number of water rights that we claim, and the amount that the DOE believes is correct.
This issue will play out in time through court action, adjudication, and negotiations. Regardless of the outcome, as we continue to grow, we are eventually going to meet and exceed our withdrawal limits.
Increased Demand for Water Due to Growth
At this time, only about 60% of the land within our legal boundaries is fully developed. We are legally required to provide service to all the properties within our District.
It used to be that as agricultural lands were developed, the water use declined. Today, most of the current land development is on properties that were not previously irrigated, and the increase in water use is significant. We will need access to more water rights.
Procuring New Water Rights
There are many ways to address the shortage of water rights, but the simplest, applying for more water rights from the DOE, is incredibly limited.
As a regional community, we only use a small part of the aquifer’s capacity. 1 of the problems is that over the past century, the number of water rights is equal to or greater than the total capacity of the aquifer.
This puts the DOE in a difficult position when water rights are requested. The DOE is generally not going to grant the request.
Fortunately, there are alternatives available to address our future water needs. First and foremost, we have started with procedures to resolve our differences with the DOE.
Additionally, we are negotiating with other entities that have excess water rights to see if we can purchase those rights. We have even gone so far as to explore the possibility of a merger or creating a cooperative agency with an entity that has excess rights.
The good news about water rights is that there are available solutions. The bad news is that none is inexpensive.
It doesn’t matter if the answer is a legal proceeding with the state, market purchases, or other solutions; All of them come with a hefty price tag.